Enyinnaya Abaribe

Enyinnaya Abaribe
Born	(1955-03-01) March 1, 1955 Aba, Nigeria
Occupation(s)	Politician, former lecturer, business executive
Years active	1982–present
Known for	Senator representing Abia South since 2007; Deputy Governor of Abia State (1999–2003); Minority Leader of the Nigerian Senate (2019–2023)

Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe (born 1 March 1955) is a Nigerian lawmaker who has represented the Abia South senatorial district in the Senate of Nigeria since 2007. He held the position of Deputy Governor of Abia State from 1999 until his resignation amid impeachment proceedings in March 2003. During the 9th Senate, Abaribe served as the minority leader.

In January 2020, while presenting a motion on Nigeria's escalating security crisis, Abaribe urged President Muhammadu Buhari to step down. He reminded the president that Nigerians entrusted him with leadership in 2015 and renewed his mandate in 2019 specifically to address security issues. Citing Buhari’s 2015 pledge that citizens should "stone him out of government" if he failed to improve safety, Abaribe concluded that the administration had not fulfilled its responsibilities.

Education

Abaribe completed his WASSCE at Government College Umuahia in 1974. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1979 and followed with a master's degree in economics from the University of Benin in 1982. Subsequently, he lectured at Edo State University from 1982 until 1985.

Business career

Between 1985 and 1991, Abaribe worked as area manager for Southern Nigeria at SCOA Nigeria. He then took on the role of senior investment manager at Nicon from 1991 to 1992. From 1993 to 1995, he was chief executive officer at Integrated Mortgage Co.

Deputy governorship and gubernatorial bid

Following Orji Uzor Kalu's election in 1999, Abaribe became Deputy Governor of Abia State. The state legislature impeached him twice in 2000 and again in 2003; anticipating the third impeachment, he resigned on 7 March 2003 by sending his resignation through DHL to ensure documented proof. The House formally removed him a few days later, a decision he described as "medicine after death." His successor was Eric Acho Nwakanma. In the same year, Abaribe contested for governor under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but was defeated by Kalu.

Senatorial tenure

In 2007, Abaribe secured a seat in the national Senate on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform; his victory was contested by Eric Acho Nwakanma of the PPA. He served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs and participated in committees overseeing the Independent National Electoral Commission, Senate Services, and Works. In October that year, he joined six other southeastern senators advocating for the release of Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the proscribed secessionist group MASSOB.

He was reelected to represent Abia South in April 2011 and subsequently chaired the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity. In 2015, he won another term in the Nigerian 8th Senate representing Abia South under PDP. On 13 June 2019, he was appointed as Minority Leader of the Senate.

During the 2023 elections, Abaribe retained his seat with a total of 49,693 votes for Abia South senatorial district. On 8 August 2023, he was appointed chairman of the Senate Committee on Power for the ongoing 10th Senate.

Arrest and release

On 22 June 2018, Abaribe was detained by operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) at his barber shop located within Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The arrest was linked to alleged connections with the Indigenous People of Biafra and his role as surety for their leader Nnamdi Kanu. Following a search at his residence, he was taken into custody at DSS headquarters in Abuja. Abaribe was granted bail and released on 26 June 2018.